Dog Health Questions: What Causes Crusty Ear Edges?

IdeaMan21 | May 8th, 2009

What causes crusty edges on the ears? Is it a mite? Will oil and soap take care of it?
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What kind of dog do you have? I used to have a dog with this problem,
and the vet diagnosed it as fly bites, although I never saw the flies biting. He sold me a product that looked like a stick deodorant that I applied to her ears to repel the flies, and the sores healed fine.

This was quite some time ago, so I can’t remember the name of the product. He did tell me that this problem is quite common in German Shepherds and dogs with “pointy” ears.

Mange Mites on Ear

Could be Mange mites. Check around the tail area and toes. They may be getting crusty. That is what happens is Mange. Sarcoptic Mites and Mange. SARCOPTIC MITES and DEMODEX MITES are often referred to as MANGE. The word mangy describes a ragged and uneven hair coat and damaged skin that results from mites affecting the skin and hair follicles.

Mange Mites

Mange would be bad, didn’t notice it anywhere else. It’s a Chihuahua – he had it when I first got him and I gradually brushed it off. He’s indoors and flies are few and far between. Soap w/ess. oil seems to help, but it would be nice to know if it’s something besides dirt.